Fastening device



N0v.21,1944. G.A.T1NNERMAN 2,363,210

FAS TENING DEVICE Filed oct. 12. 1943 INVENToR.

infested` Nev. l211,

:assiale Fss'raimzo lil-:vica George a., cleveland omo, assigner to Tlnnermansrrodnets ,-fIno.,(Beveland,y Ohio, a

Appuemmoember iz, 1943,1seria1Nq.'-5o5,9s1 i ropas-3s) This `invention yrelates ma fastener ladaptar `for securing -together two membersonelof `which has a projecting edge,ilange,.orabead. For in`f` stance, flanged `structuralpmembers occurl .fre-Y quently in airplane: `constxl'uction `and A"it is" u very desirable to have `ready `means forsecuring a` panel, instrument or other device directlytosuch member. `In other instances it `:may s be desired to secure quickly a ilangedf article toa support.

In `any of such cases "my fastening? device isl arranged` to embrace the flanged `memberxand holditself in position thereon while providing a retaining device, preferably: a nut fora threaded bolt, to secure the two members. i My `fasteningvdevice isimadezofa singlevstrip of resilient sheet material, `preferably spx-ing` steel, suitably `cut and benton :itselfto provide two `portions toextendlaroundan edge; ilange or l `projection and :engage opposite `i'aceslof lsuch member, one `of such portions beingwprovided with an opening `for the passage of *astudand with `deformed members adapted to engage i the stud. 'Ihese deformed memberaarepreferably:`

a `pair of opposeditonguespartially severedilrom` that region of the memberiandbent at opposed angles thereto and `warped in` opposite directions so that lthe ends of the tongues suitably `notched deiine a helical turn corresponding tothe thread of a bolt to be'usedas afastener.

My fastener isI hereinafter'more fully` explained in connection with the` description 1 of the 1preafpan'el C and thenthrough the webo of the beamand then through the `member i2 of the fastener and finding` its nut in the thread engager of the fastenerpashereinafter Amore iully The portion `il of my fastener ispreierably` "a iiat plate having an opening Il for thepassage ofthe` bolt as shown in Fig. 2. Leading fromthe outer edge of this rportion H areztwo strap `like `parts `I5, made narrowxand spacedfapart fior lightnesaand `these straps attheir other ends ljoint another plate-like portion It which isbent I downwardly as at il then `outwardly into the 1 portion i2 above-mentioned, and finally ilangedf` upwardly at the extreme edge `as shown at il.

`'I'heilat portion I2 `carrlesthe thread engager. which is shown as comprising the pair of tongues 2dr-partially severed `from such flat portions by slits 2l along their longitudinal edges and `an opening 21 between them; `these tongues being thenbent up at an acute angle to the plane `of themember I2`to act as struts engagingtheipart passing through the opening22.` Preferably the `tongues are `notched at their ends and arewarped fin `opposite directions so that their combined edges present one turn of a helixw corresponding to'thethreads of the' bolt `B `to be usedwiththe A fastener.` The upright portions Wand -Iil of the fastener make effective bridges, tying: together 30 the anchorages of the two tongues 20.

ferred embodiment `illustrated inthe fdrawing hereof. l

`In the drawing, Fig.. lis afperspectiveoffthe fastener looking `down at one iaceithereof, which i it is convenientto call the top; fFig.t2 is aperspective looking at the opposite tace of theffastener, which in the drawingiislthefbottom; !l?ig,3A

is an end view ofthe; fastener. inplace lonwa structural :beam shown in section, and ,carrying a suitable panel; Fig. 4 is acrosssectionoithe `parte shown in Fig. 3, :inf'a `plane `indicated by theline 4--4 on Fig. 3. j

In FigSfB andA, Ihave shown'atA asuitabl'e structural beam `having .aiiange a `withan edge rib or` flange a'. l `My `fastener, `designated yIII, :is designed tomextend about :therib af andengage opposite spaces of lthe portion on a. Thulsyas shown in Fig. 3, the `fastener' provides axfiatlbottom portion il bearing against theouter `face of the weba and a topportionflZbearingagainst the inner i'ace.` Each `'i'ortionjh'asVa bolt'opening, `and theportioii I2` is` formed with a thread engager about the boltfop'ening.

`A screw .bolt B is intiicated` as :passingfthrough "Such iasteneras describedmaybe sprung intol place by beingshifted over the flange 1f-oftheV supportingmemberyor `it maybe shoved into place `lengthwiseof thesmember. When: it is in position, so that the` bolt openings of the fastener register with the bolt openingsof the supporting. web and panel; a` bolt may lbe passed throughall of the parts. i.

To *prevent shifting of the lfastener on the supporting beam, before the screw isappl'ed, 1I prefer to provide a pair of projectionson" the Aunder face of the layer I2ofthe fastener. These 'are shownlin Figs. 1 and4 as madeby indenta` tions made in the upper face of such region, causing downward `projections 25 (which are adapted to seat in openings a3 (Fig. 4l"in..i;h`e` web of the supporting beam. l l 'It willibe seen that with a` supporting or,` at-` tached member A, having openings properly.

spaced jin its web, `a number of these fasteners `may f be slipped into `position in t proper place over the edge ilange or bead` and engage snugly the` 'faces of the web, and when positioned in registration `with the bolt openings in the web will hold themselves in such position so that` they are l l and the downturned flange I1 of the fastener;

This leaves a comparatively large free :Space bounded by the fastener'portions and in this space may readily be the fianges, beads, or ribs of members of various sizes, positions and shapes. Fig. 4, for example, shows in full lines one size 3. .A fastener made of a single strip of resilient sheet material and having six successive regions, each at an angle to each adjacent region, namely, first, a fiat region; second, a region approximately at right angles thereto; third, a region inclining from the end of the second region toward the first region; fourth, a region at approximately right'angles tothe first region; fifth, a region substantially parallel to the first region, and,

sixth, a region at substantially right angles to the fifth region the first and fifth regions having *i l registering bolt openings and the fifth region bef ing deformedv about the opening to provide a and shape and position of flange a which is readily received in` my fastener.

The view also shows in broken lines a narrower flange ahaving l a `different position in this space and represented as an edge flange of a different beam A shown in broken lines.

It will be seen `that myfastener provides a plurality of reaches to engage the rib on the bead.

and thereby position the fastener laterally. Thus,

as shown in Fig. 3, the connecting portion I5 en-v gages the rib a', whereas in broken lines the portion I1 engages the rib a4. Also in full lines the final fiange i8 of the fastener engages the web A, whereas lthat is not-the case in the form shown in broken lines. Thus a lateral engagement may result at any or all of these surfaces;

that is to say, any of the members extending apl secure a suitably flanged instrument, and there are other uses for the fastener, which will be readily apparent.

Iclaim; y Y y 1. Ar fastener adapted to embrace a member having an edge rib comprising a strip of resilient material bent to provide the following regions connected in series; first, a region to engage the A face of the member; second, a region extending entirely on one side of the first region to project beyond the rib; third, asubstantially nat region inclining toward the first region to extend across the edge of the rib; fourth, a region to extendz toward the first region; and, fifth, a region substantially parallel with the first region, the first `and fifth regionshaving registering bolt openings through them and one of them being de' formed about the opening to provide a boltengager.- l

2. A fastener made of a s'ingle strip of resilient sheet material and having five successive regions, each at an angle to each adjacent region, namely, first, afflat region; second,` a region approxi mately at right angles thereto; third,-a region extending over the first region; fourth, a region extending toward the flrst region; fth, a region substantially parallel to the first region', the first land fifth regions having registering bolt-openings and the fifth region being deformed about the opening4 to provide a thread engager.

could-also rethread engager. e A '44A fastener comprising a single strip of re'- silient sheet material bent on itself to provide two substantially parallel regions adapted to engage opposite faces of a member to be embraced,ksaid two regions being connected by an integral loop adapted to extend about a flange or rib on said membensaid substantially parallel regions hav-- ing registering .bolt openings and `one of them on opposite sides of itsopeninghaving a pair. of inclined opposed tongues partially severed from f said region and bent at acute angles thereto and spaced at'their `ends to provide means to engage a bolt passing through the registering openings,- the region carrying the tongues having beyond the` roots of` thel tongues projectionsto engage openings inthe member embraced. 5.` A fastener made of a single strip of resilient sheet material bent into, six regions, each at an angle to the adjacent region as-follows: namely, first,; a flatregion; second, an upstanding region; third, a return region inclining toward the fiat region; fourth, a region substantially at right angles to the fiat region; fifth, a region substantially parallel withthe flat region; sixth, a region substantiallyvparallel with the fourth region, lthe first vand fifth regions being provided with registering bolt openings and the fifth region having a pair of oblique tongues extending longitudinally of the fifth region, andpartially ysevered therej from `but attached thereto "in the vicinity of the region as follows: namely, flrst, a region having a narrowed portion with a bolt opening; second, an upstanding 1 region comprising two spaced straps; third, a return region inclining toward `the first region; fourth, a' region substantially at right angles to the flrst region; fifth, a region substantially parallel with the flrst region;y sixth, a region substantially lparallel with the fourth region, the fifth region having a pair of oblique tongues extending longitudinally of the fifth region, and partially severed therefrom but attachedV thereto intermediate the edges of the fifth region, said tongues being notched at their free ends and warped lto define a helical turn, and a pair of indentations in the fifth region respectively between the root "of a tongue and the adjacent end of the region which indentations produce projections on the underside of said fifth region, the Vnarrow portion of the first region clearing saidprojections, the lines of fold at the juncaseaaio i tions oi the fourth and fifth regions and of the fth and sixth regions respectively being substantially coincident with the slits denning the edges of the tongues. y

7. A fastening device comprising a strip of resilient sheet material bent on itself to provide two substantially parallel regions adapted to engage opposite faces of a member and having register; ing bolt receiving openings, one of said regions having a pair of opposed tongues partially severed from said region on opposite sides of its bolt opening by parall'ehslits extending along opposite edges of the tongues'said tongues extending upwardly in oppositely inclined directions and their ends cooperating to provide a bolt engager, said strip having upstandlng regions on opposite sides of the tongues bent at said slits upwardly from the region carrying the tongues and forming bridges between the two tongue anchorages, and a loop connecting one of said bridges with the 1'0 other substantially parallel region mentioned.

GEORGE A. 'I'INNERMAN. 

